Staff Profile
Dr Peter Helm
Research Associate
- Address: School of Engineering
Drummond Building
Newcastle University
Newcastle upon Tyne
Background
I am currently employed as a research associate on the EPSRC funded ACHILLES project with my work primarily focussed on the modelling of the deterioration of geotechnical infrastructure subject to annual weather cycles.
I am a geotechnical engineer with experience in the computer modelling of shallow mining subsidence (as part of my PhD) and I have since undertaken hydrological and mechanical modelling of slopes and slope stability.
During my time at Newcastle University, I have worked as a research assistant on the BIONICS project, In 2011 I undertook a 1 year secondment into the geotechnics group of ARUP's Newcastle office working on slope stability modelling and then worked as an assistant lecturer teaching on both undergraduate and postgraduate modules in geotechnical engineering. From 2013 to 2018 I worked as a research associate on the EPSRC funded iSMART project.
Recent Publications
ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6866-5568
Morsy A, Helm P, El-Hamalawi A, Smith A, Hughes P, Stirling R, Dijkstra T, Dixon N, Glendinning S. (2023). Development of a Multi-Phase Numerical Modeling Approach for Hydromechanical Behavior of Clay Embankments Subject to Weather-Driven Deterioration. Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering. 149(8):04023062. https://doi.org/10.1061/JGGEFK.GTENG-11213
Postill, H., Helm, P.R., Dixon, N., El-Hamalawi, A., Glendinning, S., Take, W.A. (2023). Strength parameter selection framework for evaluating the design life of clay cut slopes. Proc. ICE – Geotechnical Engineering. 176(3):254–273. https://doi.org/10.1680/jgeen.21.00125
Svalova, A., Helm, P., Prangle, D., Rouainia, M., Glendinning, S., Wilkinson, D.J. (2021). Emulating computer experiments of transport infrastructure slope stability using Gaussian processes and Bayesian inference. Data-Centric Engineering. 2, E12. https://doi.org/10.1017/dce.2021.14
Postill, H., Helm, P.R., Dixon, N., Glendinning, S., Smethurst, J.A., Rouainia, M., Briggs, K.M., El-Hamalawi, A., Blake, A.P. (2021). Forecasting the long-term deterioration of a cut slope in high-plasticity clay using a numerical model. Engineering Geology. 280:105912. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.enggeo.2020.105912
Stirling, R.A., Toll, D.G., Glendinning, S., Helm, P.R., Yildiz, A., Hughes, P.N., Asquith, J.D. (2021). Weather-driven deterioration processes affecting the performance of embankment slopes. Géotechnique. 71(11):957-969. https://doi.org/10.1680/jgeot.19.SiP.038
Rouainia, M., Helm, P., Davies, O., Glendinning, S. (2020). Deterioration of an infrastructure cutting subjected to climate change. Acta Geotechnica. 15(10):2997–3016. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11440-020-00965-1
Reviewer
- Canadian Geotechnical Journal
- Engineering Geology
- Geotechnical Engineering (Proceedings of the ICE)
- Geotechnical and Geological Engineering
- Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology
Invited Speaker
- Modelling deterioration in cut slopes: Geotechnical Asset Owners Forum (April 2021)
- ACHILLES - Deterioration of long linear assets: Geotechnical Asset Owners Forum (Nov 2019)
- Modelling the deterioration of infrastructure slopes: TC208 Workshop, XVII European Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, Reykjavik Iceland (Sept 2019)
Qualifications
- 2002 - BSc - Geology - Durham University
- 2004 - MSc - Geotechnical Engineering - Newcastle University
- 2011 - PhD - Analysis of the stability of shallow abandoned colliery workings - Newcastle University
Memberships
- Fellow of the Geological Society
- Member of the British Geotechnical Association
- TUD COST Action TU1202 member
Grants / Awards
- Co-organiser of an International Training School entitled ‘The Vadose Zone Workshop’. An event for European Early Stage Researchers convened at Durham University (15,000 EUR) - Responsible for the numerical modelling component of the workshop
- Awarded funding to undertake a collaborative scoping study into improving the derivation of vegetation parameters for numerical modelling (£9910)
Teaching
I have experience of teaching on the following undergraduate Civil Engineering and postgraduate MSc Geotechnical Engineering and Engineering Geology modules:
- CEG2201: Geotechnics
- CEG2001: Design of Sustainable Engineering Systems 2
- CEG3001: Design of Sustainable Engineering Systems 3
- CEG8201: Geomechanics
- CEG8202: Ground Investigation - Design, Principles and Practice
- CEG8208: Geotechnical Design
Research to date has focussed on applied computational geomechanics to investigate shallow mining subsidence as well as rainfall induced slope instability, using software such as the FDM and FEM codes FLAC 3D and PLAXIS as well as LE codes such as SLOPE.
Currently I am working on the EPSRC funded ACHILLES project with my work primarily focussed on the modelling of the deterioration of geotechnical infrastructure subject to annual weather cycles
At present I am focussing on modelling work having helped develop the work packages for the Simulation and Modelling theme in phase 2 of the project.
My typical work involves the modelling of the effects of meteorological parameters on pore water pressures in infrastructure slopes and how this in turn affects their stability. This is primarily undertaken with the hydrological code SHETRAN and the geomechanics modelling code FLAC (with the two phase flow add on to allow the modelling of partially saturated flow behaviour).
In the past I worked as a research associate on the ESPRC iSMART project and as a research assistant on the BIONICS project (Biological and engineering impacts of climate on slopes) and was seconded into a consultancy firm where I undertook validation of their finite element software for use in slope stability analysis.
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Articles
- Postill H, Helm PR, Dixon N, El-Hamalawi A, Glendinning S, Take WA. Strength parameter selection framework for evaluating the design life of clay cut slopes. Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Geotechnical Engineering 2023, 176(3), 254-273.
- Morsy A, Helm P, El-Hamalawi A, Smith A, Hughes P, Stirling R, Dijkstra T, Dixon N, Glendinning S. Development of a Multi-Phase Numerical Modeling Approach for Hydromechanical Behavior of Clay Embankments Subject to Weather-Driven Deterioration. Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering 2023, 149(8), 04023062.
- Stirling RA, Toll DG, Glendinning S, Helm PR, Yildiz A, Hughes PN, Asquith JD. Weather-driven deterioration processes affecting the performance of embankment slopes. Géotechnique 2021, 71(11), 957-969.
- Svalova A, Helm P, Prangle D, Rouainia M, Glendinning S, Wilkinson DJ. Emulating computer experiments of transport infrastructure slope stability using Gaussian processes and Bayesian inference. Data-Centric Engineering 2021, 2, e12.
- Postill H, Helm PR, Dixon N, Glendinning S, Smethurst JA, Rouainia M, Briggs KM, El-Hamalawi A, Blake AP. Forecasting the long-term deterioration of a cut slope in high-plasticity clay using a numerical model. Engineering Geology 2020, 280, 105912.
- Rouainia M, Helm P, Davies O, Glendinning S. Deterioration of an infrastructure cutting subjected to climate change. Acta Geotechnica 2020, 15(10), 2997-3016.
- Elia G, Cotecchia F, Pedone P, Vaunat J, Vardon PJ, Pereira C, Springman SM, Rouainia M, Esch JV, Koda E, Josifovski J, Nocilla A, Askarinejad A, Stirling R, Helm P, Lollino P, Osinski P. Numerical modelling of slope-vegetation-atmosphere interaction: an overview. Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology 2017, 50(3), 249-270.
- Glendinning S, Hughes P, Helm PR, Chambers J, Mendes J, Gunn D, Wilkinson P, Uhlemann S. Construction, management and maintenance of embankments used for road and rail infrastructure: implications of weather induced pore water pressures. Acta Geotechnica 2014, 9(5), 799-816.
- Helm PR, Davie CT, Glendinning S. Numerical modelling of shallow abandoned mine working subsidence affecting transport infrastructure. Engineering Geology 2013, 154, 6-19.
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Conference Proceedings (inc. Abstracts)
- Armstrong J, Preston J, Helm PR, Svalova A. ACHILLES: reducing infrastructure whole-life cost. In: Proceedings of 10th International Conference on Railway Operations Modelling and Analysis. 2023, Belgrade, Serbia.
- Svalova A, Helm P, Prangle D, Rouainia M, Glendinning S, Wilkinson D. Bayesian Emulation of Computer Experiments of Infrastructure Slope Stability Models. In: 8th International Symposium for Geotechnical Safety and Risk (ISGSR). 2022, Newcastle, Australia: Research Publishing.
- Armstrong J, Preston J, Helm P, Svalova A. ACHILLES: reducing earthworks failure risks and whole-life costs. In: Proceedings of the 3rd International Railway Symposium. 2021, Aachen, Germany.
- Stirling RA, Glendinning S, Hughes PN, Hen-Jones R, Asquith JD, Helm P. Deterioration of geotechnical infrastructure: the influence of asset aging through environmental cycling. In: 19th International Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering. 2017, Seoul, Korea.
- Helm P, Stirling RA, Glendinning S. The Implications of Using Estimated Solar Radiation on the Derivation of Potential Evapotranspiration and Soil Moisture Deficit within an Embankment. In: 3rd International Conference on Transportation Geotechnics. 2016, Guimaraes, Portugal: Elsevier.
- Glendinning S, Helm PR, Rouainia M, Stirling RA, Asquith JD, Hughes PN, Toll DG, Clarke D, Powrie W, Smethurst J, Hughes D, Harley R, Karim R, Dixon N, Crosby C, Chambers J, Dijkstra T, Gunn D, Briggs K, Muddle D. Research-informed design, management and maintenance of infrastructure slopes: development of a multi-scalar approach. In: International Symposium on Geohazards and Geomechanics. 2015, Warwick, UK: IOP Publishing.
- Helm PR, Davie CT, Glendinning S. Numerical modelling of the stability of shallow mine workings. In: Advances in transportation geotechnics : proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Transportation Geotechnics. 2008, Nottingham, UK: Taylor & Francis: London.
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Research Datasets/Databases
- Morsy A, Helm P, El-Hamalawi A, Smith A, Hughes P, Stirling R, Dijkstra T, Dixon N, Glendinning S. Data used for the validation of the BIONICS research embankment hydromechanical model. 2023. Newcastle upon Tyne: Newcastle University, Newcastle Data Repository, 2.2MB.
- Helm P, Postill H, Dixon N, El-Hamalawi A, Glendinning S, Take A. Dataset: Strength parameter selection framework for evaluating the design life of clay cut slopes. 2021. Newcastle upon Tyne: Newcastle University, Newcastle Data Repository, 2.8 MB.